Traffic Receiver Stopped Working

I experienced this same thing. I always connect the gtm-20 in the vehicle. I've not had a problem with "losing" the subscription.

The first time I experienced this, I unplugged the cable from the cig lighter receptacle. Rotated it slightly and reinserted it...and it worked. Sometimes I had to do this two or three times but eventually, it would work.

As you state, all the green lights were lit, but the icon on the gpsr was grayed out...I think I also got a message to the affect of "this feature not available"

This happened a few times, then I cleaned the gtm-20 plug end and the cig lighter receptacle. The problem seemed to go away. Around this same time I also found a problem with the cable end that connects to the gpsr. One of those little tabs on the side of the connector, that are squeezed to remove the cable was broken. Eventually, the other side broke too. That could affect the connection. I found mine was broken after I did the cleaning...So, can't confirm if it was the cleaning or connection. (thinking about it now it was probably the broken connector) Maybe the unplugging and reinserting wiggled the cable just enough to make a good connection as well. I sent the cable back for a replacement while it was still under warranty. I've not had that problem again. I also haven't removed the cable from the gpsr end either.

Anyway, a cleaning and inspection may help.

Have you travelled to different areas to determine if it was simply a signal issue? The icon on mine is occasionally not available although the lights on the receiver are green. Once I drive for a few miles however, the icon does eventually appear.

I had to help someone with there gps. the msn subsription dicontinued by it self.. We just re regestered it and the unit came back on line. I was told it was due to lack of use. I guess if you dont use the unit for a while, the subscription just discontinues until you reactavate it. He still had the free year so it just continued from the time he 1st actavated it.

I have a traffic problem too but it is a little different. Mine appears to have stopped working as it used to around the time of a Garmin update that I performed in March or so.

My traffic service works, when I go to the traffic button I can see traffic in my area but what stopped working is traffic being calcuated on my route. I no longer see the yellow delay icon in the bottom right corner when there is traffic on my route. The traffic delay is also not calculated in the ETA field in the bottom left corner.

I contacted Garmin and they suggested that I check the box in settings to avoid traffic. When I looked there it was already checked. I tried setting a route under both conditions (traffic avoidance checked and unchecked) on a route that I knew traffic was a factor and it still didn't work.

So to sum it up, traffic IS technically active and receiving updates it just doesn't calculate traffic for me along my route which I miss sorely.

Garmin now wants me to send the unit in for repair. They are telling me that they can't duplicate the problem and haven't heard of it from anyone else. So I thought I would post here in case anyone else was having similar problems. I wonder what they will charge me for that and how long I will be without my unit. (Streetpilot c550)

Joe

I am very sorry for not responding. I had some PC troubles and traveled for a week. I really appreciate all the responses.

My problem did not appear to be related to my equipment. A few days after I spoke to Garmin (where they admitted to having some problems with the server they use to generate traffic receiver codes), it just stared working. But I can't believe it was just a code problem. I say that because I would have expected to enter the newly generated code myself and I did not have to do that, it just stared working.

Anyway, that you all again for your helpful information.

I didn't have the opportunity to travel to entirely different areas, just around town in the same service area. The receiver's reception light always ready as I would have expected it to read... yellow when it’s first turned on, then green.

But I live in Phoenix where I know there are a lot of POI Factory contributors so I would have expected to hear a howl if there was a general service problem.

Thanks,

That's interesting. I didn't see any affect from the update I installed; my icon remained grayed out the entire time. I am curious to learn what Garmin finds so please post your results if you think of it.

Thanks,

I've had the same problem. My traffic receiver glows green/amber, the amber flickers, then both turn green (which seems to be normal behavior). I used to get traffic up until a week or so ago. It coincided with the power plug tip coming unscrewed, and the fuse falling out. I've put it back together and it powers the GPS fine, but the traffic doesn't seem to come through. I've got a subscription through 2009. I'm going to try cleaning things etc. /Darius

I've noticed the same thing lately.
My subscription was renewed and up to date.

On my last few trips to and from the PA mountains from the NYC area, the orange light flashed and I didn't notice that it ever turned green. When I checked, the traffic alert icon remained darkened and pressing it gave no response.

I wondered about the loss of the traffic alert signal from local radio stations, but this would be surprising given that I am almost always within and around the NYC Metro area. Lately it seems that most of the times the traffic alert feature seems inactive but sometimes the green light is on and the icon/info available even if I am not in a route.

I started to surmise that perhaps the receiver only glows green when actively receiving the periodic updates and then goes back to the flashing orange in between traffic updates. I haven't had the chance to verify this.

I wondered if the lighter/traffic unit was too low in the cockpit of the car and/or van, since I sometimes used it in a multi-outlet adapter. Holding the power cord and elevating it up to windshield level did not suddenly cause the traffic alerts to come up (green light).

I recently did the firmware update which included the update to the traffic firmware. The above issues were occurring both before and after the update.

For whatever reason, when I first got the unit, I recall that the green light was on much more frequently and traffic info was more readily available- even when not routing. Over the last few months I've noticed more sporadic connections, albeit in a NYC Metro area with several local stations providing traffic data.

It is a pain to have the feature, ride from the PA mountains all the way to the George Washington Bridge, get stuck in traffic on both sides of that bridge and have no alerts or detours to consider.

Be well,
Rob - Long Beach, NY

I've read somewhere that the cable acts as an antenna. Maybe try repositioning the cable, up along the dash and windshield.

I've tried that, physically holding the cable up in my right hand (while on the steering wheel) or draping it up over the dash.

Sitting my driveway, I get no reception. If I loop the cord over my rear view mirror, it starts receiving.

unfortunitly i do not have any of these problems but i can tell you I am a semi driver and i go to almost all of the urban areas that give off signal. I live in Knoxville and NEVER get a signal from thare...just today on my way home thare was a 5 mile back up due to power lines in the road and did not get a thing... I have spoken with the local traffic enforcement unit and asked them if they had an idea.....answer.....the city did not enter it in the system.....i suppose they have to manually enter it into some computer system that tells everyone else what is going on and they choose not to....I do know that when a wreck occurs thare is no fm signal sent from the car for gps units to pick up. the problem could simply be human error from the city....my lights are constently changing colors and i do not know what they are supposed to be. I really dont care i just know when i go through places like dc and ny just to stay away from the major crosses at certin times....i do get traffic updates and by the time i get thare they are gone im sorry if this doesnt help anyone but i thought ya'll probly didnt know the city had to enter the info....I know I didnt:>

Thank you all for your input. Mine still seems to act sporatically and I'm always in an area with a signal. Lately it's been off more than it's been on so I don't think I'll bother renewing when my subscription expires. I can get the same info from Google Maps Mobile for free. Not the re-routing, of course, but the traffic info.

This past weekend I packed the family in the Eurovan Camper and set forth from Long Beach, NY to the NE Pennsylvania Pocono area. As I've stated before, this trip takes me across the George Washington Bridge or other Hudson River crossings, so it is important to know the traffic conditions else a 2.5 hour trip could easily take 4 hours.

I was excited when I got a green light and traffic data in my driveway (about 10-12 air miles from JFK International Airport and about 15 air-miles from Manhattan). I had the traffic data through much of the trip through the boroughs of NYC and parts of New Jersey. By the time I get to the mountains, I do not expect to get a signal.

On the way home last night- the results were typically useless. I never received traffic data and the light flashed yellow all the way home. At one point (while in the NYC area) I unplugged everything and let it load up again- yet no information was received.

I am not sure why spending almost 2 hours in the capture area and near dead-center of the Clear channel stations that I never got a lock on the traffic data. I had the power cord draped up over the rear view mirror the entire time.

I'm trying to second guess the unit and apply a strategy. I thought that maybe because the unit didn't have a signal in the PA mountains that it stayed in that status. Allowing the unit to power down and sit fully unplugged before starting it up again did not give me the green light and traffic data I experienced immediately just two days before.

I can't imagine that the traffic data signals in and around the NYC area are so weak or sporadic that sitting in and around the biggest metro areas provides no connection with traffic data.

Since the unit locks on from time to time (although much less so than even several months ago) I don't think that it is inoperable.

I've taken to listening to the traffic reports from my XM Satellite receiver since approaching the "wrong" Hudson River crossing can cause you to creep an extra hour or two (and sometimes three).

I do not have any special coating on the windshield and the reduced efficacy has been experienced in both the Eurovan Camper and my ol' Honda CR-V.

Rob

I've found that removing/replacing the unit from the cradle will often work. That removes power to the FM traffic receiver (resets it). You don't have to reset the GPS itself. Remove it, wait 1-2 seconds, put it back. The shut down warning might come up, but will go away after you put it back.

Your right, though. It shouldn't be this way. It seems that if the unit doesn't receive a signal for some period of time, it gets into a state where it's no longer looking for signals.

Thanks

I have found this does the trick for me as well. I know I leave mine plugged in all the time in the car, so maybe it does lose its signal and just can't get working again. I once drove it all the way across the ocuntry and wondered why I didn't get any alerts in NYC. I have since learned to unplugg it from the cradle and put it back in. This seems to reset it and it picks up the signal right away.

I agree this is not how it should work, but with any new service or technology, it takes time for them all to work well together. I hope they will notice and fix this inconvenience.

Alan